QUEETA, BALOCHISTAN: The Baloch Students Organisation-Azad (BSO-Azad), a Baloch nationalist student group, on Monday accused the Pakistani state of committing war crimes and genocide against Baloch political activists, following the killing of a member the group identified as Dr Abdul Rasheed, also known by the alias “Nokap”.
In a statement issued by spokesperson Sholan Baloch, the group said targeting Baloch political activists living as displaced persons including in neighboring Baloch-populated areas of Iran, amounted to a war crime by what it called the “occupying” Pakistani state. The characterization of Pakistan as an occupying power reflects the political position of Baloch nationalist groups and is not a term used by the Pakistani government or recognized in that sense internationally.
According to the statement, Dr Rasheed was a senior member of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), a separatist political organization, who had been living with relatives after leaving Pakistan, which the group said he did due to pressure and threats against his family aimed at forcing him to abandon political activity. The group said he continued his involvement in the movement while also working as a physician, describing him as having opened a clinic to treat residents of underserved areas lacking health facilities.
The group’s statement also said Baloch political activists have previously been targeted in neighboring Baloch-populated areas outside Pakistan, an apparent reference to Iran’s Sistan-Balochistan province. It cited what it called the “Sham Sar” incident, alleging that Pakistani forces used warplanes to kill an entire Baloch family, though it provided no date, location details, or supporting evidence. The statement further said that several other families have faced collective punishment, including the killing of activists’ relatives and the burning of their homes, describing these as part of a broader pattern it characterized as genocide extending beyond Pakistan’s borders into neighboring Baloch areas.
BSO-Azad called on international bodies to recognize Baloch refugees, ensure their protection and hold Pakistan accountable, describing the alleged pattern of targeting activists and their families as genocide an accusation Pakistani authorities have consistently and strongly denied in relation to their conduct in Balochistan.
